SOMOS Flamenco Company Flamenco Dancer from Tampa, FL

SOMOS is a Flamenco dance and music performance group deeply rooted in Flamenco palos, Classical technique, Jazz sensibilities and gypsy logic. SOMOS' performers are steeped in music as part of their daily life experience. Their driving inspiration is to share with audiences the "Bohemio" view of the world of familial devotion through music and dance. SOMOS is a powerhouse of performance experience and training: - Sandra Serrano began learning to dance shortly after she learned how to walk. Her mother and lifelong teacher, Curra Alba, is a world class dancer that has passed along her family's Flamenco traditions. Sandra also studied in Madrid at the Isabel Quintero School of Dance and the famed Amor de Dios where she studied intensively with Cristobal Reyes and Paco Romero, Rafael Campallo, Domingo Ortega, Maria Magdalena, La Tati, and more. Live performance is Sandra's life blood. In addition to countless private events, festivals and local venues, Sandra has also performed on the stages of the great concert halls of Central Florida. She has graced the timeless walls of the historic Columbia Restaurant in Ybor City with her performances as well as performing for the Olympics Selection Committee and even appeared on billboards and in commercials for Tampa's Outback Bowl on ESPN and KUHN Honda/Volkswagen. - Peter Suarez, a lifelong performer, has danced for eight years with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City, performed with the Gypsy Kings at Radio City Music Hall, and danced at 'El Juglar' in Madrid and 'Los Gallos' in Seville, Spain. He served as style coach for Olympic silver medalist ice dancers Belbin and Agosto, Broadway productions including "Mambo Kings" and for the Cirque du Soleil production "Corteo". Peter has had the opportunity to perform for two Presidents, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and has danced and/or choreographed for such companies as Cincinnati Ballet, Ballet de Puerto Rico, Romeria Flamenca, Louisville Ballet, Ballet Espanol, Siempre Flamenco, and La Compania Folklorica Latina. He is grateful to have had the opportunity to study with such esteemed artists as Antonio Reyes, Juana Amaya, Manuel Reyes, Jeiro, Manuel Santiago Maya(Manolete), Farruquito, Jose Antonio, El Chupete, Jose Molina, and Victorio Korzhan. - Eddy Lugo has been a professional guitarist for nearly 30 years. Taking advantage of the rich history and tradition of guitar in Ybor City and the greater Tampa Bay Area, Eddy sought out the great local masters and absorbed their teachings and their craft. He continued his studies at Florida Southern College earning his Bachelor's in Guitar Performance. His formal education culminated in a Master's Degree in Guitar Performance earned from one of the most prestigious conservatories in the world, The Manhattan School of Music. Flamenco, however, is not learned in the classroom. Realizing this Eddy sought out great masters of the Flamenco arts to study with including Pepe Romero and Paco Fonta, adding to his list of great teachers including Dr. Mark Switzer, Manuel Barrueco, Carlos Barbosa-Lima and David Starobin. As a college professor Eddy has honed his orating skills which allow him to draw the audiences of his recitals into the rich history and deep meaning of his repertory. Eddy has performed in solo recitals, with instrumental ensembles, with full orchestras including the Florida Orchestra, at countless local venues and private events. He has even performed under the baton of Maestro Anton Coppola in Barber of Seville. Few performances, however, fulfill his impetus for expression more completely than performing with the dancers, singers and percussionists of SOMOS Flamenco Company. - SOMOS is a versatile group. At the client's discretion the ensemble can be transformed into an intimate and agile duo or a rich ensemble including song, music, dance and percussion. Some other members of SOMOS that help to create this versatility are Chris Walker (voice, guitar and hand percussion), Melinda Lugo (voice, dance and hand percussion), Nuvia Dominguez (voice, dance and hand percussion) and Dr. Patrick Hernley (exotic percussion including djembe, tablas and udu.)